Central Theme, Relationship with Previous
Sūrah and Analysis of the Discourse

This sūrah is the counterpart of Sūrah
Nūh the previous sūrah. Both form a complimentary pair. There is no basic
difference between the central themes of both sūrahs. In the previous sūrah, a
soul-stirring and a soul-searching picture is presented before the leaders of
the Quraysh of the stubbornness and arrogance shown by the leaders of Noah’s
nation, of the way they closed their ears to the calls of their Messenger and of
the fate they reached. Now in this sūrah, they are being shown that the very
Qur’ān from which they feel such great aversion cast such a potent influence on
a group of jinn that it embarked upon spreading its message among its brethren.
So aversive were they in this regard that they would thrust their fingers in
their ears and leap at the person who would recite it out to them and
disgustfully run away when they would hear it. The incident of the jinn hearing
the Qur’ān as mentioned in this sūrah has already been alluded to in Sūrah Ahqāf
(46:29-32). I have already mentioned in the tafsīr of these verses why this
incident has been related before the leaders of the Quraysh. The first reason
was to incite their sense of honour: if the jinn, who are not even the direct
addrssees of the Qur’ān could be so deeply moved on accidentally hearing it, how
is it that these leaders of the Quraysh for which the whole Qur’ān has been
specifically revealed are showing indifference to it; day and night, a messenger
of God is calling them towards it, while they are so unfortunate that instead of
opening their hearts to his calls they have become avowed enemies of those who
are presenting it. The second reason for relating this incident before the
leaders of the Quraysh was to assure the Prophet (sws): if the miscreants of his
nation were not treasuring the Qur’ān, he should not be sad; people whose hearts
are dead will not benefit from it however much they try; on the other hand,
those who even have the slightest ability to appreciate the truth will benefit
from it even if they accidentally chance by to hear it whether they are its
addressees or not and whether any arrangement is made to read it out to them or
not.

People who are only slaves to their
faculties of sensation and who deny the very existence of things beyond these
faculties will not be effected by the manner in which a group of jinn were moved
by the Qur’ān; they are not even addressed here. The addressees here are the
Idolaters of the Quraysh who were not so dumb as to believe only in things they
could see or touch. They not only believed in the existence of the jinn, they
had also set up a whole system of soothsaying through which they maintained
contacts with them. For this reason, the Qur’ān has narrated to them this
incident as something very important. If they want, they too can benefit from
this information. Through soothsayers, they would receive various news from the
miscreants among the jinn. The Qur’ān has presented before them a report of the
righteous among them so that those among these leaders of the Quraysh who have
the ability to distinguish between good and evil are guided to embrace faith.
The Qur’ān has related before them some facts of the unknown and unseen world so
that the seekers of the truth can gain benefit from this. Although the slaves to
the sense faculties will call all this a product of one’s imagination,
providence does not deprive people of its blessings if some unworthy elements
fail to recognize and value it.

Tell them: “It has been revealed to me
that when a group of jinn listened to the Qur’ān, they said to their people: ‘We
have heard a Qur’ān wondrous, which shows guidance to the right path; so we have
professed faith in it and we will not by any means associate any one with our
Lord and that exalted is the majesty of our Lord; He has neither taken a wife
for Himself nor does He have any children. And that this foolish [leader] of
ours has been saying absolutely false things about Allāh. And that we thought
that no man or jinn could forge a lie against Allah. And that there were some
among men who had been seeking refuge with some among the jinn so they only
increased them in their rebellion. And that like you, they also thought that
Allah would never raise the dead. And we deeply observed the heavens and found
it filled with stern guards and darting meteors. And we were able to sit in some
of its stations to eavesdrop, but now whoever tries to eavesdrop finds a darting
meteor waiting for him. And that we do not know whether any ill has been
intended for those on earth or whether their Lord has intended something good
for them. And that there are pious among us also and some who are otherwise; our
paths are separate. And that we acknowledge that we cannot escape God’s grasp by
setting off to some place in this earth or by running away somewhere in the
heavens. And that when we heard words of guidance we believed in it. So he who
believes in his God their Lord will have no fear of any loss or any injustice.
And that there are obedient among us and also disobedient; so those who are
obedient will find themselves on the right path, and those who are disobedient
will become the firewood of Hell.’” (1-15)

And it has also been revealed to me that
if these [Quraysh] had adhered to the straight path, We would have bestowed on
them rain in abundance so that We could test them by this, and those who turn
away from the Reminder of their Lord, He will put them through an
ever-increasing torment. And that mosques are only for the worship of Allah; so
invoke not any one with Allah. And that when this servant of Allah stands to
invoke only Him, it seems as if they will rush upon him. Tell them: “I only
invoke my Lord and will not associate partners with Him.” Tell them: “I have no
authority to harm or benefit.” Tell them: “None can protect me from Allah nor
can I find any refuge besides Him.” My duty is only to inform you and to
communicate His messages to you. And those who disobey Allah and His Prophet
shall abide forever in the fire of Hell. Until these people behold that what
they are being warned of, then they shall know who is the weakest in help and
who is the fewest in numbers.” Tell them: “I do not know whether that with which
you are being threatened is imminent or whether My Lord will postpone it a
little more.” Only He knows the unknown, and He never reveals this unknown to
anyone. As for those whom He chooses as His Messengers, He guards them from
behind and from the front that He may know if they have delivered the messages
of their Lord; and He surrounds them from all sides and keeps count of all their
things. (16-28)

The words قُلْ
أُوحِيَ (tell them) clearly indicate the fact that the
impressions of the jinn cited in this sūrah are not narrated to the Prophet (sws)
directly from their tongue; they have been revealed to the Prophet (sws) by the
Almighty. A group of jinn chanced by the Prophet (sws) while he was reciting the
Qur’ān. They were so moved by it that they intently listened to what was being
recited. Such was the pronounced effect of its wondrous words on them that they
embarked upon calling their own brethren towards it.

When did this incident happen? It is
difficult to give a certain answer to this question. In my opinion, this is a
detailed version of the same incident referred to rather concisely in Sūrah
Ahqāf. I have already referred to its background and context in the tafsīr of
that sūrah in the light of various narratives. These impressions of the jinn
have been conveyed to the Prophet (sws) so that he informs his people of them.
The implication is that the very Qur’ān which they are treating in such a
disdainful manner by shutting their ears to it, and set off to become the
enemies of its reciter even though it was specifically revealed for them had a
profound influence on some bright jinn. So potent was this influence that they
became such ardent fans of it that they embarked upon calling their people
towards it even though they were not the direct addressees of this Book.

The word قُلْ
clearly shows that the Prophet (sw) has been informed of these impressions of
the jinn so that he conveys them to the leaders of the Quraysh to awaken their
sense of honour. In a passing way, these words also assure the Prophet (sws)
that he should not feel sad if his message is not receiving recognition by such
worthless people. If they are not valuing this Book, then neither is the Book to
be blamed nor the Prophet (sws); it is because of their own bad nature.

The words
فَقَالُوا إِنَّا سَمِعْنَا قُرْآنًا عَجَبًا depict the
message the jinn conveyed to their nation. In other words, they did not merely
praise the words they heard; they thought it was a natural requirement of
recognizing the truth and of being well-wishers to their people that they should
share with them the divine favour they had been with by God.

`The word
عَجَبٌ is a verbal noun and in contrast toعَجِيْبٌ
has more emphasis and exaggeration in it. The jinn
used this word for the Qur’ān’s efficacy, forcefulness and being replete with
wisdom. In Arabic, this word does not mean “strange” (which is its Urdu
meaning); it expresses the effectiveness and beauty of something. In Sūrah Ahqāf,
this aspect is discussed in the following words:

They said: “O people! We have just
been listening to a book revealed after the time of Moses in confirmation of the
confirming previous predictions and pointing to the truth and to a straight
path.” (46:30)

It is also indirectly evident from the
verse under discussion that the jinn are not only conversant with their own
language, they are also conversant with the language of the human beings
belonging to the area where the jinn live and that also among them are those who
are connoisseurs of this language.

This verse explains how the Qur’ān is so
effective as referred to by the word عَجَبٌ
of the previous verse: this Book is guiding people to the truth which is
acceptable to the heart of every good-natured person. In the verse of Sūrah
Ahqāf, the words used are: يَهْدِي إِلَى الْحَقِّ
وَإِلَى طَرِيقٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ . Here the word رُشْدٌ comprehensively covers this
subject. It encompasses all basic beliefs and virtues which are innately found
in human nature.

Here the word
رُشْدٌ (rushd) comprehensively covers this subject. It
encompasses all basic beliefs and virtues which are innately found in human
nature. If a person does not pervert his nature by wrongly using his will, it
guides him to the straight path. If, at times, he does commit a blemish, a
little reminder and admonition brings him back on the right track; the only
condition is that he should value and recognize this feature of his nature and
not be led away by his base desires. The highest status occupied in this rushd
is that of tawhīd. It is the fountainhead of all basic beliefs and deeds and on
it depends their correctness as well.

The obligation owed by the jinn to the
رُشْدٌ is expressed by the
words: فَآمَنَّا بِهِ. It is
the natural right of being blessed with this guidance to profess faith in it.
The jinn accepted it with sincerity.

The primary and foremost part of رُشْدٌ is tawhīd, as indicated
earlier. Consequently, the jinn while stating a requirement of this رُشْدٌ expressed that it was not
possible for them now to associate partners with God. The Qur’ānic words used
are وَلَن نُّشْرِكَ بِرَبِّنَا أَحَدًا.

It needs to be appreciated that all
basic beliefs and virtues are common not only among all human beings but also
the jinn. The Qur’ān has in fact clarified that they are common to every
cognizant being of this universe. The difference in directives between human
beings and jinn relates to the social sphere only. There is no reason for any
difference between them as far as beliefs in tawhīd, in the Day of Judgement and
in the reward and punishment which will take place on that Day as well as in
morals and morality. Thus it is these things which are mentioned here. The
Qur’ān also invited people in the initial period of the Makkan life of the
Prophet (sws) to these basic requirements ingrained in human nature.

Expressed in this verse is a further
explanation of their statement وَلَن نُّشْرِكَ
بِرَبِّنَا أَحَدًا (and we will not by any means
associate any one with our Lord) cited in the previous verse. It has become
absolutely evident to them that so exalted is their Lord that He does not
require any family. Foolish are the people who attribute such things to Him. He
neither has a wife nor any children.

The word
تَعَالَى signifies “greatness, grandeur and high
status”. The implication is that He is so lofty that no one can be His peer or
equal in status to Him. He is solitary and peerless and is not dependent on
anything. He has no equal and is matchless. Although this is a statement of the
jinn and hence should be related to the sentence
فَقَالُوا إِنَّا سَمِعْنَا (they said: We heard …);
however, since these impressions of the jinn did not come directly to the
Prophet’s knowledge and were revealed to him by God this statement should be
related to قُلْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ أَنَّهُ
(tell them: it has been revealed to me that …) as are all subsequent statements
of the jinn.

The word
سَفِيهٌ means “foolish”. Here the jinn have used it
for their leader because his foolishness became evident to them after they had
heard the Qur’ān.

The word
شَطَطٌ means something which does not conform to
justice and truth.

When the jinn were fully convinced of
tawhīd, they informed their people that their foolish leader would ascribe
absolutely false and baseless allegations to the majesty of God. Amongst these
allegations was that He had a wife and children and that such and such were His
favorite sons and such and such were His favorite daughters; however, the Qur’ān
they have heard clearly shows that all these were false allegations concocted by
their false leader. So they repented from all such nonsensical things and
invited their people too to repent from such things and not be lured away by
this foolish leader.

It is evident from this verse that the
group of jinn mentioned in these verses was from their common masses. They did
tread the path they were led into by their leaders; however, once the truth
became evident to them they stopped obeying their leaders with the spark of
courage that was ignited in them by true faith, and began treading the straight
path. The common masses of the Quraysh are informed of these impressions of the
jinn through the Prophet (sws) so that they too break the shackles of blindly
following their leaders and so that they are inculcated with the confidence of
relying on their own vision and intellect.

Expressed in this verse is the
misconception they were led into by their leaders. They thought that men or jinn
could never impute falsities to God that He had appointed certain partners and
also regarded them to be worthy of worship; on the contrary, these people were
audacious enough to do such things and they were lured away by them.

Through these words they wanted to
convey to their masses that they should not blindly follow their religious
pundits by being deceived about their sanctity. They should use their senses
lest these pundits cause them an irreparable loss.

The real meaning of the word رَهَقٌ is “to burden someone with
what he cannot bear.” It was from this original meaning that it came to be used
for “sin, oppression, cruelty and usurping rights”. Consequently, in verse
thirteen it is used for injustice.

Generally, people have interpreted this
verse to mean that some foolish human beings took refuge with the jinn and
thereby made these jinn arrogant and supercilious. This interpretation does not
seem to be correct. Firstly, the discourse does not give any useful information
and secondly, the word رَهَقٌ
exceeds its real meaning in this interpretation. In my opinion, the subject of
the verb زَادُوا is رِجَالٌ مِّنَ الْجِنِّ and the
antecedent of the pronoun هُمْ
is رِجَالٌ مِّنَ الْإِنسِ.
In other words, some foolish men sought refuge with the jinn so that they could
save them from calamities sent by the jinn; however, when the jinn saw that they
were luring some people away, then instead of protecting these people from
their evil they lured them into it.

The Idolaters of Arabia had the
superstition that the jinn were a means of finding out the news of the unknown
and the unseen world. As a result, a whole system of soothsaying which was
totally based on lies and deception had come into being. Typically, a soothsayer
would tell a person under his lure that a certain jinn is angry with him and
that if he did not do a particular sacrifice or make a vow, then this jinn would
cause him some harm. As a result, this person would obey the soothsayer. So much
so, in order to please the jinn, foolish people at the behest of these
soothsayers would at times even sacrifice their children. This has been alluded
to in Sūrah An‘ām.

Another superstition with which they
thought these Idolaters of Arabia were afflicted was that every valley and every
mountain was inhabited by some specific group of jinn. If ever circumstances
arose that someone had to spend the night at some such place then it was deemed
necessary to seek the refuge of the leader of these jinn. In case this refuge
was not sought, there was a strong chance that these jinn would send some
calamity on them. Consequently, in the age of ignorance when the Arabs would
spend a night in some valley they would invoke the chief jinn of that valley and
would think that they had sought refuge with him. Obviously, this was another
needless burden which such people would have to bear because of this
superstition.

It is to such superstitions that the
pious jinn mentioned in this sūrah have alluded. The objective is to show that
because of a lack of comprehension of the concept of tawhīd an alliance has come
into being between some foolish human beings and some mischievous jinn. The
purpose was also to show the various spiritual and material evils were as a
result coming into existence to uproot which the Almighty had revealed this
Book.

The reason that the word رِجَالٌ is not defined can be both
for magnification (tafkhīm) and derision (tahqīr). In other words, the verse can
be interpreted in two ways: a) some foolish among human beings would invoke and
seek refuge with some foolish among the jinn and b) some mischievous among human
beings would invoke and seek refuge with some mischievous among the jinn. In
fact, it would be totally in accordance with the principles of Arabic if this
verse is interpreted thus: some foolish among human beings would invoke and seek
refuge with some mischievous among the jinn.

After tawhīd, the jinn have now pointed
out the misconceptions of both groups – humankind and jinnkind – regarding the
Hereafter. They told their brethren that just as they were in the misconception
that the Almighty would not raise their dead, some men have also remained in
this misconception. The implication is that one of the objective for which the
Qur’ān has been revealed is to dispel this misconception of people.

Some people have interpreted this verse
differently. They think that these jinn were giving a different piece of
information to their brethren viz: just as they were under the wrong impression
that now the Almighty is not going to send any prophet similarly some among
mankind were also under this wrong impression.

Although the words of this verse can be
interpreted thus, however a question arises on it. The foremost addressees of
the Qur’ān – whether they were from the Ishmaelites or the Israelites – were
waiting for a prophet because of prediction made by earlier prophets. Though the
People of the Book tried to hide these predictions but they were not able to
deny them. As far as the Ishmaelites were concerned, they did not have a clear
conception of this awaited prophet because of being unlettered, yet they too did
not deny him with certainty. Consequently, at some places in the Qur’ān, they
have been condemned for a particular attitude they had adopted: before the
advent of this awaited prophet, they had claimed that if the Almighty would send
a prophet from within them they would be the first ones to accept him and the
ones to follow his guidance the most; however, when the Almighty blessed them
with this favour, they became his opponents.

Mentioned in these verses is what they
experienced for the very first time in this universe at the time of revelation
of this Book. It has been mentioned at many places in the Qur’ān that when the
devils among the jinn try to eavesdrop to gain news of the unknown and unseen
world they are pelted with shooting stars. This personal experience of the jinn
substantiates this information of the Qur’ān. It also shows that prior to the
revelation of the Qur’ān, there was a possibility of such eavesdropping.
However, at the time in which they were narrating their experience, the heavens
were filled with meteors and sentinels to such an extent that the jinn were not
able to infiltrate for this purpose in any manner.

Although the jinn mentioned this great
change in the system of the universe they were not able to cite any reason for
it. This is evident from the very next verse which says that they were unaware
of the wisdom behind what was happening. However, by linking the revelation of
the Qur’ān with this great change they observed they gave the impression to the
people that this change was related to the revelation of the Qur’ān.

In my opinion, their deduction was
correct. It is evident from many verses of the Qur’ān that the system of
surveillance which the Almighty has set up in this universe to stop the jinn
from intervening in divine matters became very rigorous at the time of the
revelation of the Qur’ān so that this divine Book was protected from such
incursions. In general, this system of surveillance has always remained in
action. Even before the revelation of the Qur’ān, the devils have been pelted
with meteors for such intervention; however, just as governments put roads on
which royal treasure is to be transported or on which the royal cavalcade is to
pass under special protection, it seems that in the time of revelation of the
Qur’ān and at advent of Gabriel also the heavens had been put under special
protection to stop such infiltration.

The Qur’ān has cited this information
given by the jinn before the Idolaters of Arabia because these Idolaters would
regard the Qur’ān to be a discourse similar to the one produced by soothsayers
and that it was inspired by the jinn. By this information this blame was
refuted. For its refutation, the mere statement and observation of the jinn
themselves mentioned in this verse was enough.

These jinn were not absolutely sure
about the reason behind this great change in the universe, as has been pointed
out earlier. So instead of pointing out a clear-cut reason, they just expressed
their uncertainty about it; they reckoned that though they did not know the real
reason yet they thought that this change was a prelude to some great revolution
in the earth. Whether this revolution would be advantageous or not for the
inhabitants of the earth is something which only time will tell.

Though because of exercising care they
did not clearly express their opinion, yet the style in which they expressed
their opinion shows that they thought this change would augur well for
inhabitants of the earth. Thus they mentioned that something ill may befall them
in the passive voice and mentioned that something good will befall them in the
active voice. I have already explained in Sūrah Kahf the difference of these two
styles viz a viz holding respect and reverence for the Almighty. Here what needs
to be specifically kept in consideration is that if their dominant opinion was
not that something good had been intended for the inhabitants of the earth, then
this opinion would also have been expressed in the passive voice like the other
sentence. However, correlating the revelation of the Qur’ān and the great change
that occurred in the universe, they were of the opinion that both these
incidents were beneficial for the people of the earth and it was like an union
of two propitious events.

In this verse, these jinn have expressed
the opinion that till that time there was no difference between good and evil in
their eyes. Both were equal to them; however, the Qur’ān cleared this
misconception of theirs and clarified that all of them do not follow the same
path and that their paths are separate and that it is essential that they deal
with people keeping in view this difference. In other words, what is implied is
that the basis of association and dissociation should be belief and disbelief.
It should not be bias for one’s tribe or nation.

This statement of the jinn is actually a
declaration of acquittal from their nation who even after their calls to accept
faith remain adamant on their disbelief and polytheism. Such a declaration was
made by all prophets of God before their respective nations and the righteous of
all periods of time while following these prophets also made such a declaration.
One prominent example of this were the companions of the cave mentioned in Sūrah
Kahf.

The word
طَرَائِقَ means “paths” and “schools of thought” and
قِدَدًا means “different”
and “separate”.

After calling their people to the truth,
these words sound a warning to their people: it has also become evident to them
that they are always in the grasp of God; He can seize them at any time.

In this verse, some words are suppressed
on the basis of the well-known linguistic principle of parallelism. These
suppressed words can be undersood through the sentence structure of the verse
itself. For example, in the first part of the verse the presence of the word
فِي الْأَرْضِ points to the
suppression of فِي السَّماء
in the second part. Similarly, the presence of the word هَرَبًا
in the second part points to the suppression of its
counterpart in the first part. I have unveiled all these suppressions in the
translation of the verse. Since this style is not common in Urdu12,
the real meaning of the verse cannot be understood unless these suppression are
unfolded.

In this verse, these jinn have presented
their own example before their people regarding accepting the truth when it came
their way. They thought that it was mandatory upon them to recognize the truth
and so they professed faith in it. The implication is that this very attitude
should be adopted by all those who have regard for the truth. The evasion of
those who run away from it will bear witness that instead of following reason
they wanted to follow their desires.

In the expression فَلَا يَخَافُ بَخْسًا وَلَا رَهَقًا
the word بَخْسٌ means “ to
reduce” and the word رَهَقٌ,
as explained earlier, means “to be unfair”. This subject is also discussed with
slight variation of words in فَلاَ يَخَافُ ظُلْمًا
وَلاَ هَضْمًا (٢٠: ١١٢) (so they shall fear neither
wrong not injustice, (20:112)).

By these words, they have encouraged
people who have accepted the call to embrace faith: whoever will do so, should
rest assured that this deal will procure no loss. The Almighty will abundantly
reward them for their deeds. They should neither fear usurpation of some right
nor any injustice. Whatever a person would have done will only come before him.
In the Sūrah Zilzāl the words used are:

In this verse, the jinn are expressing
the fact that since the Almighty has given them innate awareness of good and
evil, has also explained to them good and evil through His Books and as a fact
of life they are also witnessing that both types of people – obedient and
disobedient – are also found among them, then a natural consequence of all this
is that the Almighty should not regard both these categories to be equal; in
fact, those who remain obedient to Him should be worthy of Paradise and those
who deviate from the truth should become the firewood of Hell. Making a
distinction between good and evil is an obvious requirement of the Almighty’s
justice and wisdom. If this is not so, then this would mean that this world is
an unattended lot whose creator regards good and evil to be equal.

After the impressions and statements of
the jinn, from here the discourse has shifted directly towards the Quraysh. I
have already written while explaining the word قُلْ
of the first verse of this sūrah that by this word the Prophet (sws) has been
directed to communicate these views of the jinn regarding the Qur’ān and its
message to the conceited and arrogant leaders of the Quraysh. After this, the
Quraysh are now being directly admonished that if they had remained steadfast on
the straight path, then this would not have been a loss-incurring deed; it was a
very lucrative deal for them both in this world and the Hereafter. The Almighty
would have blessed them with abundant rain. The words
مَآءٌ غَدَقٌ literally mean “abundant water”; however,
in Arabic it connotes abundance in resources and provisions. Examples of this
usage can be seen in the previous sūrahs. In Sūrah Nūh, the words used are:

Seek forgiveness from your Lord;
indeed, He is ever Forgiving; He shall send down on you abundant rain from the
heavens and shall strengthen you with wealth and sons and shall make for you
gardens and shall bring forth for you springs of water. (71:10-12)

The verse under discussion actually
dispels the misperception of the Quraysh as per which they would attribute their
affluence to their deities and would fear that if they accept the calls of the
Qur’ān they would be deprived of the wealth and children they have been blessed
with. The implication of the verse is that it is naïve on their part to
attribute this affluence to their alleged deities. All the favours are the
blessing of God and if in spite of their ungrateful attitude He has still not
taken away these favours from them, then if they show gratitude He will not only
make them remain its recipients He will also increase these favours.

The words
عَلَى الطَّرِيقَةِ refer to the straight path of
tawhīd. It is mentioned as if it is a well known path. It is a reality and hence
human nature bears witness to it, human intellect alludes to it and the prophets
and books of God have also called people towards this path.

This is an on the spot admonition on a
misconception that may arise. If the Almighty blesses someone with riches and
affluence in this world, then he should not be misled by this act of benevolence
and regard himself to be a favourite creature of God. The real purpose for this
bestowal is to test that person whether he becomes grateful and obedient to the
Almighty after receiving these favours or ends up as an ingrate and conceited
person. The implication of this verse is that these conceited leaders of the
Quraysh have forgotten this obvious reality; they regard these favours to be
their right which they have inherited from their forefathers; inebriated with
conceit and pride they showed aversion to this Reminder which the Almighty had
revealed to them to guide them to the right path.

The words
وَمَن يُعْرِضْ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِ يَسْلُكْهُ عَذَابًا صَعَدًا sound a second admonition to the leaders of the Quraysh that
those who evade the Reminder of their Lord by showing conceit on their worldly
affluence should remember that the Almighty will cast them into an
ever-increasing torment.

The wordٌ
ذِكْر refers to the Qur’ān on the lack of recognition
of which the Quraysh have been condemned earlier. This word is used to refer to
the Qur’ān in many verses.

The expression عَذَابًا صَعَدًا has generally been
translated as “extreme torment”. However, the real meaning of صَعَدًا is “to increase”. For this
reason, I am inclined to think that the punishment of those whom the Almighty
seizes because of the rejection of His prophet and Book is not transient; it is
ever-increasing. They will have to face a much greater punishment in the
Hereafter than the punishment they face in this world and then they will be made
to pass through an ever-increasing torment. Never will it end or gradually
lessen.

In the previous verse, the
address of the discourse was not direct. In this verse, the Quraysh are directly
addressed and warned of the sanctity a mosque has in which no one but God is
worshipped. This is a reminder of the belief of tawhīd which is part of the
warning found in the previous verse. The implication is that when the Almighty
will seize those who have turned away from His reminder, these alleged deities
will not be able to save them; hence the Quraysh should not contaminate the
mosque by worshipping them.

Since it is only the Almighty Who is
worthy of being worshipped and no one else has this prerogative so mosques are
reserved for God only as per the very purpose of building them. Neither can a
mosque be built for someone other than God nor can someone other than Him be
worshipped in it.

Here, the word مَسَاجِدَ (mosques) is not
specified; however, since the addressees of this verse are the Quraysh, there is
a strong indication that it refers to the baytullāh. It is signified by a plural
word because it is the direction in which all other mosques are built and in
fact knits these mosques together, and secondly because it refers to all
mosques. This very style is adopted in مَا كَانَ
لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ أَن يَعْمُرُواْ مَسَاجِدَ الله (١٧:٩).
Here too the word connotes the baytullāh; however, to let it remain a general
directive, a plural word is used.

It was only befitting that in the
baytullāh no one else’s name be invoked other than that of the Almighty; on the
contrary, when the Prophet (sws) stands up to worship the Almighty only, his
opponents surround him from all sides.

The word
لِبَدًا is the plural of
لِبْدَةٌ which means something which is intertwined or
something which is multi-layered. This verse depicts the fact that the concept
of tawhīd has become alien in the very house that was built for the worship of
the one and only God; when a servant of God stands to worship Him in it and
recites sūrahs which contain the pure teachings of tawhīd, people regard him to
be an alien or a mad person and encircle him from all sides. Precisely the same
situation arises when he goes out to preach and recite before them the sūrahs
which are based on tawhīd. At that time also, some miscreants besiege him and
try to harass and humiliate him.

The expression عَبْدُ اللهِ refers to the Prophet
(sws). The expression reflects affection as well as the reality that the most
natural and logical attitude of a servant of God is to invoke God alone; however
the conscience of some people has become so perverted that the highest and
noblest of deeds has become alien and aversive to them.

These verses guide the Prophet (sws)
that however much these people should oppose him and express disgust, he should
not care about them and clearly tell them that he will invoke God alone and not
ascribe partners to Him even though they might regard these partners to have a
great share in this partnership with God.

The Prophet is asked to convey to his
opponents that if they feel an aversion to his message and they are not even
ready to hear him out, then he has no remedy for them; he has been sent as one
who invites people to the truth and not one who makes them forcibly accept it;
neither is their harm or benefit under his control nor can he provide guidance
to them or lead them astray; his only responsibility is to deliver the word of
God and that is what he is doing; he has no further obligation. Here the unique
style of the Qur’ān may be noted that because of parallelism after ضَرًّا the wordنَفْعاً
is suppressed and after
رَشَدًا, the word غَيّاً
is suppressed.

This is a further explanation of what is
said in the previous verse. The Prophet (sws) is told to inform his adversaries
that if while trying to pamper them or being over-awed by them, he succumbs to
associating someone with God then this would be imputing falsehood to God which
is the greatest crime. He should also inform them that such is the punishment of
this crime that no one will be able to give him refuge and asylum from the wrath
of God.

This verse relates to verse twenty one
above. The implication of the verse is that the Prophet (sws) can neither bring
about the promised punishment at their demand nor forcibly guide them; his
responsibility is only to communicate the message of God with full integrity of
contents and to inform them of all the directives of God.

The word
رِسَالَاتِهِ (messages) is connected to بَلَاغًا (to inform). After بَلَاغٌ the purpose of addition of
this word is to show that the responsibility of the Prophet (sws) is only to
communicate the message of God in its exact form; apart from this communication,
he can neither guide them or lead them astray and he also does not have the
authority to alter the directives of God in the slightest way for their
pleasure.

The words
وَمَن يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَإِنَّ لَهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا
أَبَدًا express the fact that the Prophet (sws) is
asked to tell them that after this communication he would have discharged his
obligation. After this those who remain adamant in disobeying God and His
Prophet (sws) should remember that for them is the fire of Hell in which they
will dwell forever.

The implication is that today these
people are very proud of their power but then will see the promised punishment,
then they will realize whether it is they who are frail and weak or the Prophet
of God whose warnings they never gave any importance.

The words مَا
يُوعَدُونَ (what they are being warned) encompass the
punishment which is necessarily faced in this world by people who reject their
prophet as well as the punishment which they will face in the Hereafter. The
twenty fifth verse of the previous sūrah, Sūrah Nūh also discusses this aspect.

The opponents of the Prophet (sws)
wanted to hasten the punishment which he was promising them and to pester him
would inquire about the time of its arrival. In this verse, he is asked to
inform such people that he has been sent only to inform people of its arrival;
the exact time of its arrival is not known to him; it could be imminent and it
could have been deferred by the Almighty.

There are certain facts of the unknown
that are known only to God. The words عَلَى غَيْبِهِ
does not refer to each and every fact of the unknown;
it refers to those facts whose knowledge rests only with Him. For example, the
time of the punishment of the Hereafter is only known to Him. He does not
disclose such facts even to his angels and prophets.

The implication of the verse is that it
is not necessary that the Almighty inform his prophets whom he selects for this
position of all the facts of the unknown world. It is not necessary for them to
be aware of all such facts if they are to discharge their responsibility as
prophets. However, the Almighty does guard them from all sides to see if they
have faithfully delivered His directives.

The exception connoted by the particle
إِلَّا can be understood if
the following verse of Sūrah Ghāshiyah is kept in consideration:

Just remind them, for your duty is
only to remind them; you are not to force them. As for he who turns away and
denies, God will punish him gravely. (88:21-24)

In technical terms, such an exception is
called the severed exception (istithna’ munqati‘); it is independent of the
previous clause from which it seemingly creates an exception and is explained by
an enunciative (khabr) which follows it.

The word
ِيَعْلَمَ is in the same meaning as in نَعْلَمَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ مِنكُمْ (٣١:٤٧) and other verses of similar meaning. The word نَنْظُرَ is used in precisely this
meaning in لِنَنْظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ (١٠: ١٤).
The Almighty has knowledge of all things; however, He wants the inner-self of a
person to be revealed and that He is able to test him.

The sentence
وَأَحَاطَ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ وَأَحْصَى كُلَّ شَيْءٍ عَدَدًا
implies that the Almighty fully protects the revelations He entrusts to His
prophets and keeps count of every single thing He gives them. The smallest of
things cannot escape this count.

With the help and grace of the Almighty,
I come to the end of this sūrah’s tafsīr فالحمد لله
على إحسانه (so gratitude be on His favour).

Rahmānābād
20th October 1978 AD
17th Dhū al-Qa‘dah 1398 AH

______________

1. Tell them: It has been revealed to me that when a group of jinn listened to Qur’ān, they said to their people: We have heard a Qur’ān wondrous.

2. which shows guidance to the right path; so we have professed faith in it and we will not by any means associate any one with our Lord.

3. And that exalted is the majesty of our Lord; He has neither taken a wife for Himself nor does He have any children.

4. And that this foolish [leader] of ours has been saying absolutely false things about Allāh.

5. And that we thought that no man or jinn could forge a lie against Allāh.

6. And that there were some among men who had been seeking refuge with some among the jinn so they only increased them in their rebellion.

7. And that like you, they also thought that Allah would never raise the dead.

8. And we deeply observed the heavens and found it filled with stern guards and darting meteors. And we were able to sit in some of its stations to eavesdrop, but now whoever tries to eavesdrop finds a darting meteor waiting for him.

9. And that we do not know whether any ill has been intended for those on earth or whether their Lord has intended something good for them.

10. And that there are pious among us also and some who are otherwise; our paths are separate.

11. And that we acknowledge that we cannot escape God’s grasp by setting off to some place in this earth or by running away somewhere in the heavens.

22. My duty is only to inform you and to communicate His messages to you. And those who disobey Allah and His Prophet shall abide forever in the fire of Hell.

23. “…Until these people behold that what they are being warned of; then they shall know who is the weakest in help and who is the fewest in numbers.”

24. Tell them: “I do not know whether that with which you are being threatened is imminent or whether My Lord will postpone it a little more.”

25. Only He knows the unknown, and He never reveals this unknown to anyone.

26. As for those whom He chooses as His Messengers, He guards them from behind and from the front that He may know if they have delivered the messages of their Lord; and He surrounds them from all sides and keeps count of all their things.